Review: Drums of Desolation raises the stakes

Hi everyone. Time for another of those reviews I meant to do. This book I've been waiting for a while to read, and I was not disappointed.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Story:
The story continues with the Hawkins/Plimpton family scattered across time and space, some being in ancient Israel, the rest being at different parts of ancient America, and neither side of the world is safe from harm. While Josh and Marcos pursue the sorcerer Akish the majority of the family is preparing to witness the battle that will close the chapter on one of America's civilizations. Danger abounds everywhere, as darkness encircles the family many will find their faith tested like nothing they've faced before.
If you haven't read the first books in the series this won't make a lot of sense. What really got me excited was now this series ties in with the books Passage to Zarahemla and Escape from Zarahemla. Chris Heimerdinger combines elements of fantasy and science fiction into the stories while doing extensive research to create the ancient worlds. The stories do tend to get dark at times, but it shows how devastating evil can be upon a people.
Caution:
A sword tries to lead someone astray. Ancient American warriors threaten the characters, and may appear intimidating at times. A jaguar kills men. A man is hanged. People drown and are threatened by a mammoth. Warriors fight and kill each other. Sorcerers use dark powers to try and kill the characters and monsters are seen.
Lessons:
Parents might want to use this book to show how secret combinations can destroy civilizations. We may not understand why things happen to us, but we can trust that it will work out in the end. Through faith in the Lord our weaknesses can become our strengths. The Lord will not desert us in our time of need.